First, try doing them feet assisted. The best way to do this is to go to a gym and place a barbell on a squat rack, then hold onto the bar while in a squat position with your feet flat on the ground, directly under you hips. Now perform a pull-up, pressing with your feet to help you up, but using as much of your arms in the move as you can. Try to get up to 20 repetitions. The good thing about doing this is anyone with the ability to stand up can do it. You can use as much assistance from your feet as you need, and you can vary how hard you make the pull-up by using more upper body and less lower. If you have a person you are working out with, you can have your partner help you by holding onto your feet, or by pressing up on your back. The partner pull-ups will be a little harder than the feet assisted pull-ups.

The next one is to do a negative pull-up. This would be the next step up from feet or partner assisted. The emphasis of the negative pull-up is not so much the pulling up, but rather the lowering down. Use a bench to help you jump up to a pull-up position, then lower yourself down as slow as you can and repeat.

If you are someone who struggles with doing pull-ups or cannot do a pull-up, use these variations on the pull-up to help gain strength in your upper body. Even if you can do a significant number of pull-ups, it is still a good idea to use the negative pull-up and the assisted pull-up in your routines.

Loren Sheets

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LUNGES FOR KIDS

We now move to a lower body move for the kids. Lunges are in our opinion the best choice for lower body strength. For kids especially it has some many beneficial components such as balance, flexibility, power, and of course strength. Try different variations of the lunge such as side lunges or walking lunges. Next week will will show you how to incorporate some basic equipment to help improve the overall strength of your young athlete.

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This brought up the topic of muscle memory and if such a thing existed. There is no doubt that our body can develop patterns. I would even argue that we inherit some of these patterns when we are born. Genetic factors play a major role in the development of our muscular systems. I do not have major study results to prove it but raise your hand if you physically resemble one or both of your parents is some way.

How we develop these patterns I think can be attributed to the 4 Laws of Training. If you have not read those posts I recommend that you do. We feel it is the framework for understanding how to train the human body for maximum results. Law #2 states that the more of a specific stimulus our bodies get, the greater the anatomical change you will create. For instance the more heavy weight training you do, the stronger and more dense your muscles will become. In the example of running, my client had developed a pattern in her past when she ran all the time that created what she believed to be her “normal” stride.

Law #1 states that our bodies are designed to respond to stimulus. So the running she was doing was the stimulus that her body responded to. She ran very frequently so the constant supply of the same stimulus created a pattern. I believe this patterns to be what many refer to as muscle memory. The body has no choice but to react to the stimulus you give it. This can be a positive like building a consistent stride to run with, however, it can also be a negative if the stride you are building is not very efficient which will lead to poor performance and ultimately injury.

Our bodies are constantly changing, there is no staying the same. Think of everything you do during the day and the impact it will have on your body. The way we eat, the amount of water we drink, the amount of sleep we get, and of course the type of physical stimulus our bodies receive are constantly changing us. Depending on what type of stimulus you are giving it this can mean a change for the positive or negative.

So I believe there is such a thing as muscle memory. It exists in the form of a pattern that develops from consistently supplying the same type of stimulus to the muscles. If you do it long enough and with enough consistency you will create a pattern. The longer this pattern sets in, the more the body will use this pattern to perform the given task.

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First remember that there are multiple ways to stretch a muscle. The way we are going to discuss and to be honest is the best option in our opinion is to lengthen the muscle by contracting the antagonist or opposite muscle. What is the opposite of the Hamstring then is what we need to determine. The obvious answer is of course the quadriceps. We also want to make sure that the hip flexors are included in this as well. The reason for this is that just like the hamstring, the hip flexors and quadriceps are responsible for the anterior movement of the pelvis.

Since your hamstrings attach at the back of your pelvis, the movement of the pelvis forward or anterior then will pull on the hamstrings causing them to lengthen. Lengthening of the hamstrings then involves not only getting the body in a position to attempt to completely straighten the leg, it also requires the contraction of the quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.

Here are a few examples of some moves that will do this for you.

The basic leg lift is actually a good way to start when gaining flexibility in the hamstrings. To perform the move make sure that before you begin to lift the leg you have contracted the muscles of the quadriceps as hard as you can and pull your toes back towards you. Now lift as high as you can until the knee wants to bend, then lower it back down.

The next move is similar to the leg lift but know you use the arms to assist in getting the leg a little higher than you can with just your muscles. Make sure that with the assistance of the hands that you are still contracting the muscles of the quadriceps and hip flexors as hard as you can while you hold the stretch. Like Loren mentioned in one of the Fitness Tips of the Week, hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds to allow the hamstring to lengthen.

We have also done a few moves in our Exercise of the Week Program Like the Runners Stretch that are great examples of moves to lengthen the hamstrings.

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I was surprised how many of the people in my classes wanted to wear them to train in. They wanted to go for a run, do some jumping workouts, or even play some basketball in them. The idea makes a lot of sense. If wearing them to do pull-ups will make you stronger, then everything else you do while wearing them should help to make you better as well. The idea makes sense but it is completely wrong.

Have you ever wondered why people complain about pain their joints when they are 20, 40, or even a hundred pounds overweight? The reason is that they are placing more stress into the joints than the muscles can support and the result of this becomes pain. We have mentioned constantly throughout the last year how our muscular systems lack of efficiency causes our bodies to be in an incorrect anatomical position. Postural imbalances of all different sorts are the main reason why it would be very dangerous to train in weight vests.

If you look in the picture to the left, notice the angles that are created in this athletes legs as they sprint. There are a significant amount of muscular imbalances that are forcing the legs to run in a circular motion as opposed to driving the femur straight forward allowing the knee to punch straight up in the air. By adding additional weight to the frame of this athlete will increase these imbalances and put the knees and ankles at an even higher risk for potential damage.

The same could be said for doing jumping routines. I know quite a few trainers like to use this as a tool to help build explosion in an athlete. If you are doing jumping drills with a 180 pound athlete would they not get stronger muscles if they had to now power up 200 pounds by adding a 20 pound weight vest? Technically yes but once again at train2move we always go back to the worst case scenario mentality.

If you are doing jumping drills with an athlete you had better be positive that they do not have any form of inefficiency in their body during the jump. Are they able to do the move perfectly? If there is tightness in the hips that forces more stress into the knees upon landing, the weight vest is going to greatly magnify this. The damage to the knees is going to be much more pronounced.

Weight vest, like ankle weights that we discussed a few weeks ago, are a great tool to add to your current program. However, understanding how to use them is the key. Adding weight to a strong athlete who is very adept at a move like pull-ups can take them to the next level. Adding weight to an athlete with poor muscular efficiency can prove to do much more harm than good.

If you are looking for some good weight vests, we recommend trying these out. The Valeo are a good brand that are reasonably priced.

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That to me is the ultimate drawback to the machines, they are just too easy. First to many of them put you into a seated position. We have said this many times in our discussions but why would you need to be strong in a seated position. I get this if maybe you are in a wheelchair but if you have normal use of your legs, do not train in a seated position or at least do it significantly less. When do our bodies need to be strong in a seated position?

The second major drawback would be the fact that they isolate muscles. I realize that this has been popular for a long time to isolate muscles in an effort to strengthen and tone or define the muscle. Again like we have mentioned in many other posts, can you name a time when you need to isolate using a single muscle in your day? I try to just use my tricep when brushing my teeth but I inevitably fail every time. Our bodies are not designed to isolate muscles. We are a complex machine and the muscles are designed to work in total unison with each other to promote perfect posture and proper movement of the skeletal system.

If you are currently using machines as your only source of strength training I highly encourage you to get off of them and go back to the basics of just using your own body weight. You could also talk to a qualified trainer who can help you become less intimidated by the Free Weight area. machines are not designed to improve the overall efficiency of your body so to me that alone means do not do them. There are some that can be beneficial to you in various circumstances but overall, they will cause more harm than good.

If you need some examples of good weight training moves using dumbbells and free weights, here is a video from our Exercise of the Week Program that can get you started.

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There are a significant number of factors that can affect our posture and ultimately our spine. Genetics may be the biggest but also injuries, jobs, lifestyle, physical training we do or do not do, and sports we play can all impact the health of our spine. The key to keeping a healthy back is to keep it moving. The two major directions of the spine are the flexion/extension, and the rotation. Here are a couple of great moves you can use on a daily basis to keep, restore, or simply improve the flexibility in your spine.

The first is the Sitting Twist. It is a simple move that is very popular in the aerobics and yoga circles. Simply put both legs out straight, then cross one over the other and place the opposite elbow on the knee and twist. Hold it on each side for 30-60 seconds.

The second move is what we call a Kneeling Roller Coasters. Others call them dive bombers or even hindu push-ups. This is a fantastic move for the flexion and extension of the spine. Not only that but it will also help to maintain mobility in your shoulders as well. Start on your hands and knees and pull your hips towards your heels, then bend your elbows as you roll trough lowering your chin, chest, stomach, and hips along the floor. Once you reach the extended position, pull your hips back and roll trough again.

Mix these two moves into your daily routine to help keep your spine healthy. If you are looking for something more complete check out our Low Back Program and our AM/PM Program in our Store.

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The danger in doing moves like this in a seated position is the amount of compression and tightness it can cause in your lower back. Many trainers believe you should do them sitting to help reduce this issue and in regards to a comparison against doing it standing, this may be true. However, We feel that sitting is actually the most dangerous and really takes away from a great exercise. Not only do you tend to put very high levels of stress into your lower back, you train your muscles from a poor postural position. I know trainers will argue this and say they make sure their clients backs are straight and shoulders are up but still your in a seated position which your body never requires strength from so why do it?

Truly we are not a fan of doing any strength moves in a chair or seated position. Can you name a time when your going to need to move heavy objects around in a seated position? Is there a sport I am not aware of where you can just it there and push weight around? Sitting to do your weight training is a bad idea. You will ultimately create high levels of muscular imbalance in your body that will lead to poor posture and eventually pain and injury.

Standing is the second most common way we watch people do this move. The real danger here is that your lower back is now even more compromised. I have seen this used in aerobic classes that emphasize strength and if you watch the instructors do a good job of first setting the move up by making sure that the individuals in the class have completely prepared their core to handle the move. Whenever you do an overhead move from a standing position you put the back and knees at high risk for compensation and injury. However done correctly and with the proper amount of progression into the move, standing does present some great overall strength benefits.

The best way to do overhead presses in our opinion is kneeling. In a kneeling position you still can gain the similar strength benefits that you would from a standing position but by taking your lower legs out of the equation it lessens the demands placed on the lumbar spine and knees if your body is not in the anatomically correct position.

We did a video on this awhile back, here it is again showing what we feel is the best form for you to have to do overhead press style moves. If you are currently doing your overhead moves seated, we highly encourage you to watch the video and begin to do them kneeling. The benefits are significant and your back will thank you for it.

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There are two parts to a repetition: the eccentric and concentric contractions. During the concentric contraction, the primary muscle fibers involved in the lift shorten. So, if you were doing a dumbbell bench press, the concentric contraction would occur when you are pressing the weight up, moving it against the force of gravity. The eccentric contraction occurs as you bring the weight back to its starting position. A general rule to help you understand which is which is the concentric contraction generally occurs when the weight, or your own body weight, is moving against the force of gravity.

So what does breathing have to do with lifting weights? Well, remember that your entire body, not just the muscle you are primarily working, is involved in stabilizing the joints and holding them in their proper anatomical alignment as you lift in order to perform the move correctly and with the most power. So, a great rule to use when lifting is to exhale when you exert. That is, during the concentric contracting, you should be breathing out. This will ensure that your core muscles are being engaged as you exert the most force during the move. Inhale when you are returning the weight to its starting position.

Never hold your breath when performing heavy lifts. In some cases, people have actually passed out when holding their breath while trying to lift near their max. In general, it’s just not a good idea. Also, remember to perform lifts slowly and under control. Follow this link to learn more about our philosophy on strength training.

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Here is the honest truth about pushups, there are only good ones and bad ones, not boy ones and girl ones. A good pushup requires you to be able to drop your chest all the way to the floor. The inability to do this is what should determine the style of pushups you do. If you are unable to drop your chest all the way to the floor when attempting a pushup from your toes there is a gap somewhere in your strength or some form of muscular tightness throughout your upper body. Regardless of where your lack of strength or tightness is, doing pushups without being able to do them correctly will lead to higher levels of muscle imbalance and lack of joint mobility in your shoulders.

Doing pushups from your knees helps to eliminate these potential negative side effects and allows you to administer the stimulus of the pushup in a progressive manner. This relates to the 4 Laws of Training, specifically Law #3 that states the body is designed to receive stimulus in a progressive manner.

If you have not tried to do a pushup workout you might be surprised at how much your overall strength improves by doing pushups that your body is capable of doing correctly.

We too often see people sacrificing proper form on exercises simply so that they can pretend to be doing a more aggressive version that is well out of their current muscular ability level. While this can satisfy the ego from time to time you will ultimately pay the price for asking the body to perform things it is incapable of doing correctly. The end result of going this direction is injury and to those who need the ego boost, a lack of performance.

Take the time to do these and all your exercises at the level that your current level of muscular efficiency will allow to

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